Tenuta dell´Ornellaia - Masseto 2016

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Masseto has pulled off back-to-back home runs. This is the first time that an Italian wine has earned 100 points in successive vintages. The 2016 Masseto is a thunderstorm of emotions, but it manages to keep them under perfect control. Like the 2015 Masseto before it, this vintage is a seamless wine of the highest pedigree. It represents an encore performance, continuing the string of successes that is bringing Italy to the forefront of the wine world. The first thing you'll notice is the thickness and concentration of the fruit that makes an immediate impact on all the senses, in terms of appearance, aroma and mouthfeel. There is no overstating the sheer power and richness of this iconic vintage of Italy's groundbreaking Merlot. Despite that considerable mass, this Masseto remains delicate and graceful. You gain better perspective as the wine opens in the glass and reveals deeper layers that were not immediately apparent on first nose: dark fruit, spice, sweet tobacco and black cherry. There is great tightness and laser focus to the fruit. I tasted the 2016 and 2015 vintages together for comparison when I scored this wine, and then I tasted this 2016 edition alone about a month later to confirm my impressions. These vintages are identical twins, two perfect wines."

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is so solid and powerful with incredible vertical dense that goes down and down on the palate. Compacted and thick with caressing and polished tannins that are powerful yet refined. Super concentration yet agile and energetic. This is a wine that needs time to come together and resolve all of its amazing components. Reminds me of the legendary 2001. Try after 2023."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Not yet released, the 2016 Masseto is sensational and unquestionably one of the greatest expressions of Merlot in the world. As always, it's 100% Merlot from a single vineyard that has a complex, diverse set of soils and expositions, causing harvest at times to be spread over as much as three weeks. Aged two years in oak, its deep purple color is followed by a powerful bouquet of black cherries, cassis, spicy oak, damp earth, green tobacco, and spring flowers. It's full-bodied, concentrated and masculine on the palate, with serious minerality, yet it stays flawlessly balanced with magical purity of fruit. With no shortage of concentration and structure, this primordial powerhouse of a Merlot needs 4-6 years of bottle age yet should evolve for decades. Merlot, or wine for that matter, doesn’t get any better!"

FALSTAFF: "Sattes Rubinrot-Violett. Satte, tiefdunkle Nase, konzentriert, aber auch sehr zugänglich, nach Brombeeren und Maulbeeren, im Hintergrund nach würzigen Macchiasträuchern. Zeigt am Gaumen viele Schichten aus feinmaschigem Tannin, kompakt und saftig, dann viel Tabak, tanzt regelrecht über die Zunge, beschreibt einen langen Bogen, hinten feine Würze."

WINE SPECTATOR: "A flashy style, featuring concentrated yet fluid flavors of blackberry, plum, violet, cedar and iron, wrapped in toasty, vanilla-scented oak. The acidity is vibrant and refined, but dense tannins provide support as this cruises to a long finish. Best from 2022 through 2045. 330 cases imported. — BS"

JANCIS ROBINSON: "100% Merlot. A common scenario in recent years, the winter of 2016 was characterised by abnormally warm weather with heavy rainfall in February. Budbreak took place on time in the last week of March. The abundance of water in the soil and the warm weather in April led to quick and normal vegetative vine growth. Towards May, temperatures returned to normal, slowing the growth down slightly, bringing about flowering, which took place in the last week of May with dry sunny weather that was perfect for a good fruit-set. The summer temperatures were within the norm with very little rain favouring notable water stress towards the end of the ripening stage. The usual mid-August storms were also absent, maintaining a state of hydric stress through the first part of the harvest, but luckily with significantly cool temperatures at night, allowing the vines to recover from the daytime temperatures. Ripening was steady, building up excellent phenolic potential and a balanced sugar/acidity ratio. Harvest started early on 24 August with the younger vines. In September, a few rain showers arrived, providing enough water in the soil to prevent the vines from shutting down. This allowed the winery to complete the harvest under virtually perfect conditions. The older vines of ‘Masseto centrale’ took great advantage of this situation and continued ripening until the third week of September. The last plots were picked on 20 September."